


Today on Buzzfeed Unsolved —

by xxELF21xx



Series: Bruce Hates Buzzfeed [1]
Category: Batman (Comics), Batman - All Media Types, Buzzfeed Unsolved (Web Series), Red Hood and the Outlaws (Comics), Red Hood/Arsenal (Comics), Under the Red Hood
Genre: ? - Freeform, Alternate Universe, Based on a Tumblr Post, Bruce is Suffering, Buzzfeed Unsolved True Crime, Gen, I'm Sorry, Inspired By Tumblr, Jason Todd is Alive, Jason Todd is Dead, Mentioned Kidnapping, Mostly False, The Author Regrets Everything, The Crimeboys Are Back, Theories, Tumblr Prompt, the batboys lowkey cringing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-25
Updated: 2018-02-25
Packaged: 2019-03-23 09:46:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,736
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13784892
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/xxELF21xx/pseuds/xxELF21xx
Summary: Buzzfeed was annoying enough, with their ridiculous quizzes and mostly stupid and dumb click-bait videos — but this, this was the worst. Just when Bruce thought that the media company had bad enough ideas (such as useless debates and awkward food tests), it comes up with Bruce's literal nightmare.Buzzfeed: Unsolved.—'This week on Buzzfeed: Unsolved, we investigate the mysterious disappearance and death of Jason Todd, adopted son of Bruce Wayne.'





	Today on Buzzfeed Unsolved —

**Author's Note:**

> Don't get your hopes up with this fic. Honestly. Don't. It won't be good. I was just watching BFU one day and thought, "hey, most of the DCU's civilians probably don't know what happened to Jason Todd??? Heck, i bet most of the JL aren't all too sure either." Then I realised I was watching BFU and Jason's D&D would probably be a big mystery to many (since B was vague af about the death of Jason). Hence, the idea was born. 
> 
> But before I wrote the fic, I wrote a tumblr post about it, which can be found in the last sentence of the summary. I kept clinging onto this prompt, idk why. So, here y'all go. 
> 
> It's not Beta'd.

He was just randomly scrolling through YouTube one day, bored out of his mind and his injuries preventing him from leaving the Manor and heading back to Bludhaven, when he stumbled across it. 

Blue eyes blew wide as his jaw slackened. Suddenly, the room was a lot colder. His palms were sweaty and his skin was itching. 

'Oh. Oh  _no.'_ He glanced at the door, half hoping someone would come in and accompany him. 'I don't think I can do this alone,' he whispers. 

 _The Mysterious Demise of Jason Todd,_ uploaded by a popular channel "Buzzfeed Blue". The thumbnail was probably the only picture on the internet that had Jason smiling wide, eyes dancing in mirth. However, the once coloured picture was torn and shredded, with blood and dirt over it, as if someone had trampled on it. The publication date was — oh.  _Fuck no,_ he hisses, as if scorched, it was published two days ago. 

Two days ago. Two days ago was  _April 27._

Breathing harshly, he slowly moves his mouse over to hover over the title. He doesn't have to click it, he could just ignore it. But— but it was about  _Jason._ His Little Wing. His brother. 

He might've known about 80% of Jason's resurrection, but the public only knew less than 3% of the whole truth. 

He decides to click on it before he can chicken out. 

The intro plays ominously, and a pair of men are seen sitting at desks that could've belonged to a noir detective. 

'Hello and welcome to another episode of Buzzfeed: Unsolved,' the one on the right, Ryan, addresses. There is a lack of friendliness in his tone, despite Ryan looking like a friendly guy. 

'Hey, uh, before we start the episode,' the one called Shane, who was clearly the taller of the duo, interrupts. Ryan throws his partner a fondly annoyed look, gesturing for the other man to continue. 'Right, thanks. Uh, so, today's episode. Today's episode might be slightly triggering to some of you. I don't know if there were any trigger warnings in the intro, but, uh. Yeah. Lots of blood and stuff in this one.'

Immediately, Ryan starts to wheeze a little bit.  _'Lots of blood and stuff?_ Geez, Shane. It's— look. I know we did an episode of the Boy in the Box and all, but this one.' He shakes his head, releasing a breath. 'This one got me a little fucked up during my research.'

Dick pauses the video. Not two minutes in and the dread is starting to pile up. Bruce did a terrific job hiding the evidence of what truly happened in Ethiopia. But Buzzfeed, they're known for being able to dig stuff up from ten feet under. He just hopes that Ryan wasn't able to find much. 

**'This week on Buzzfeed: Unsolved, we investigate the mysterious disappearance and death of Jason Todd, adopted son of Bruce Wayne.'**

 

* * *

 

 

The words ring loud and clear in the den, and everyone simultaneously drops what they're doing to stare at the giant screen in the front. 

All eyes are glued onto the TV. Damian, whose ears are usually covered by his headphones, looks up from his book to see two men looking like idiots sitting behind a desk. 

'What's this?' He demands. There is no reply, until a few beats later, Duke gasps: 'they're making a video about Jason's death.' 

His voice wasn't loud. But it sounded like a bomb had gone off. 

Immediately, everyone recoils. Damian cringes slightly, slipping his bookmark in and sliding off the couch to curl around Titus, who was next to Gordon. 

The redhead had her fingers clenched tightly around the wheels of her chair, the whites clearly visible. Her eyes turned stormy and grieved. Her whole body was as taut as a bowstring, and Damian was just beginning to wonder if she'd strained any muscles.

'Just a brief history for anyone who doesn't know Jason Todd— ' The man on the right gets cut off when his counterpart exclaims, 'there are people who  _don't_ know Jason Todd?! What are all of you  _doing?'_

An annoyed look is thrown at the taller man, but he ignores it in favour of staring incredulously at the camera. 'Yeah, I mean, Jason Todd made national headlines twice: the first time when he disappeared and the second time when he was pronounced dead. It's, well, it's kinda hard for anyone over 15 who hasn't heard of the name  _"Jason Todd"_ at least once.' 

'He was just a  _kid,_ barely a  _teen,'_ the other man mutters. Both of them nod solemnly, and a hush falls over them. 'Well, at least he wasn't found in a box!' He jokes, but his eyes are slightly dimmer. The first man snorts, shaking his head, 'well, all of us who saw him on the news the second time did.' 

'I never watched his funeral. I just— funerals are private, y'know? Meant for close friends and family? What's the rest of us got to do with the deceased?' The taller man is clearly slightly agitated. 'Let the family mourn in private! Poor Bruce Wayne's lost his kid, and what? The rest of us were like  _"aww, that's sad. Anyways, what's the latest product from Wayne Enterprises?"_. Like, come on, guys!' 

Gordon and Drake look ready to rip someone's head off. Damian knows his eyes must be bugging out his head at the moment. Did people disrespect Todd's funeral? He may dislike Todd, but to actually  _disrespect_ someone's funeral. . .?  _It wasn't as if Todd didn't deserve respect,_ he inwardly shouts at the men, even if he knew they did nothing wrong.

'Born Jason Peter Todd on August 16th, 1995, in Gotham City, New Jersey, he was the son of a drunkard and small time criminal Willis Todd and drug addict Catherine Todd. Not much is known about his childhood, but it widely assumed — and agreed upon — that the boy did spend some time on the streets before being adopted by Bruce Wayne. He grew up in Crime Alley, which, as the name suggests, was basically one of the most dangerous places in Gotham.'

It seemed as though the shorter man would do most of the talking. 

'Did, uh, did anyone find out what ever happened to his birth parents? Just a quick question.' The screen changes to black, with yellow text running across it. The taller man was yellow, then. 

'It took a little bit of digging, but yeah. Uh—' blue text rushes onto the screen, and a yellow  _(sigh)_ appears. 'Wait, why're you  _sighing?'_ An incredulous voice accuses. 

'What? No—  _Ryan,'_ yellow text man responds, defensive, 'it was an  _"oh, boy, this'll be a long one"_ sigh! Nothing bad!' The other man, Ryan, goes deathly quiet, then, 'a long one? Really, Shane? That's all you've got in your mind at the moment?'

'This whole case just upsets me, okay.' Shane's response is clipped and semi-snappish, and the video trudges on. 

At this point, Father enters the room. He sweeps his eyes over the occupants, paying special attention to the screen. 

'B, B, you might wanna sit down for a bit.' Brown breathes, hands clenched tightly against Cain's. Father does as told, sitting next to Drake on the sofa.

'Willis Todd was a lackey of Two-Face, an infamous Gotham villain that frequently terrorizes the city. He was caught and sent to jail for an undisclosed period of time, but ultimately died serving his term. There have been speculations that Two-Face himself sent out a kill order for Todd, because he may have betrayed Two-Face.' The illustrations cut to the two men, and Shane is seen scribbling on a blue Post-It. 

'Wait, so, Willis Todd worked for Two-Face,' the camera closes up on the scribbling, 'but then he was caught, thrown into jail, and  _died?_ And Two-Face killed him because of betrayal?' The camera then whips up to a puzzled Shane, with an unfocused Ryan nodding. 'What I don't get is why Two-Face even spent the effort and time going after this guy. I mean, he's small fry!' 

'Well, uh, again; it was a speculation. So, not totally true.' Ryan amends, and Shane  _"ooh"_ s quietly. 'Okay.'

Father has caught on, and is in a similarly tense state as Drake and Gordon. 

'Catherine Todd, according to a death certificate issued by the Gotham Board of Health, had died from a drug overdose. Now, uh, Willis died when Jason was around 8 or 9, and not a year later, Catherine passes away as well.' 

'Not— not great.' Shane comments lamely. 'No, not great at all. This means that young Jason had no family left, and probably no home to go to either. Which was why he had to resort to living on the streets.' Ryan continues. 'People have reported seeing him out in the streets and shelters of Crime Alley, which cements the theory.'

'Then, well, Bruce Wayne— ' Ryan is once again cut off, with the return of the coloured text. 

'Bruce Wayne swa _ggers_ in Crime Alley one night, or day, I dunno, sees little Jason Todd in the streets, defenseless and scared — then, then he goes  _"I'll adopt this one"._ That's what went down!' Shane shouts triumphantly, eliciting a wheeze from Ryan. 

'I— I guess that you could phrase it like that,' Ryan coughs out, 'but remember that Jason grew up in a rough place, so he probably wasn't defenseless or scared. Wayne himself said that Jason was a tough boy. Wayne found out about Jason through the  _Batman.'_

'Oh! What!' Shane's completely caught off-guard, shock clear on his face. 'Really?! Holy shit, did the kid fight the Big Bat and  _win?'_ Ryan laughs, slamming the table with his hand repeatedly, 'I don't think so, Shane. I think, I mean, they probably encountered each other, and the Bat might've been trying to help, but Jason put up a bit of resistance, leading to the Bat retreating and going over to Bruce Wayne for help instead.'

'Do you think,' yellow text slows to a stop, 'do you think that Bruce Wayne might be Batman's sugar daddy or something?'

Damian pretends to not see Father cringe. The rest of the room laughs a little. 

'Given how Batman parades around with WayneTech and always has cool toys to play with? I'm pretty sure they've got some deal going on.' 

'So Bruce Wayne is into furries, huh?' This causes another round of laughter. 'That's a mystery for another day, Shane.'

'Jason is adopted a few days later, and becomes Jason Todd-Wayne. He makes his first public appearance during the court hearing, but no press and no recordings were allowed, so there aren't any pictures available. He would then make his second and final public appearance in a Wayne Gala hosted to honour Bruce Wayne's late parents.' 

Several photos of a tiny jason are lined up on screen, each picture has Jason smiling. Some of them were forced, but a few were genuine. 

'So, uh, clearly, Jason didn't like being in the public eye. I mean, Bruce Wayne's ward-dash-son, Dick Grayson, he was always seen in public. At charity events, galas, in the streets. But Jason? That boy could only be seen in school!' Ryan draws a conclusion. 

'I guess it kinda makes sense. Dick grew up in the limelight, right? Being a circus acrobat and all, it would've been easy to be out in public and act naturally. Jason, though? The complete opposite. If we're going with the, uh, the  _"he lived on the streets"_ theory, then it means that being unnoticable was a good thing. So he probably wasn't used to the attention.' Shane finishes. 

'There were also nasty rumours being spread by the people about Jason, anyways. So, him not being seen in public was probably a good thing. He couldn't be harassed. Apparently, many people thought he was a charity case.'

'Were these the same people who thought Dick Grayson was a charity case too?' Shane asks, disgust on his face. 'Shame on you. Shame on all of you. They're people too! Don't talk about them like that!'

Damian and Cain share a look of equally murderous intent over the thought that people publically spoke about their siblings like that. They all knew those rumours existed, but to hear it being discussed sent a sharp burst of rage up their spines. 

Gordon, Drake and Father seemed hooked onto every word uttered by those two YouTubers. Thomas has remained silent throughout, seemingly calm. Brown was physically fuming, the only thing stopping her from lashing out was the fact that Cain had an iron grip on her hand, chaining her to the floor. 

Pennyworth, who had been in the room the whole time, had remained largely unnoticed by Damian. The elderly man had been a marble statue. Damian sneaks a glance, catching a tired grandfather with regret and sadness in his eyes. 

The door creaks open, revealing a disheveled Grayson with his laptop in his palm. There are obvious stress signs all over his body, from the red eyes to the twitchy fingers. 'I was wondering why my laptop said it was connected to a tv.' 

Grayson was the one who clicked on the video, which was now paused.

'I was—  _curious,_ about what they had to say about Jason.' Grayson was quick to defend himself, 'didn't know I had connected my laptop to the damned tv. I can turn it off — '

'It's alright, we'll continue. Join us.' Father requests, and Grayson makes a face of someone who ate half a lemon. He gulps, walks into the room and sits next to Damian. Damian leans onto him immediately, though he'll never admit it aloud.

Grayson unpauses the video. 

'For about seven months, no news about Jason Todd was heard. However, Dick Grayson, who'd been studying in Bludhaven, came back for a visit, actively updated Gothamites and the rest of the US about Jason through Twitter. He highlights about how  _"betrayed I felt when I saw, on tv, that Bruce had adopted a kid. He didn't even bother telling me in advance!"_ Earlier in the year, a domestic dispute had taken place between Bruce Wayne and Dick Grayson, a few months before Dick was supposed to move out.' 

'That's gotta suck,' Shane complains, cutting Ryan off. 'The person who took you in, raised you, your other father figure, he adopts a child and he doesn't even bother texting you about it? But instead you find out through the news! I would feel angry and betrayed too, if I were Dick Grayson.' 

'I wish I was nicer to him when I first met him,' Dick whispers, staring at the coloured text on screen. 

'Yeah, but things got better. Dick warmed up to Jason, over a little period of time, and you could see his opinions changing. He even posted several pictures of him and Jason doing ridiculous things. They looked so happy.' 

'Okay, but how long did  _that_ take? Several  _months?_ I mean, I get that Grayson had a fight with Wayne, but don't drag an  _innocent_ person like the recently adopted Jason into this. He wasn't even  _aware_ of what was happening. I imagine him going into shock, y'know, from being out on the streets to living in a  _huuuuge_ home and luxuries.' 

Damian had always assumed that Grayson was kind and welcoming to everyone. Don't get him wrong, he knows that his brother had a bad temper, but he didn't expect Grayson to vent through, possibly, harming Todd. He frowned.

'When Dick Grayson returned to Bludhaven, his tweets about Jason died down a little. However, from time to time, there would be several short tweets about how Dick would  _"love to go back to Gotham and give my brother a hug"._ By this point in time, Jason's whereabouts and actions were kept discreet. Even Bruce Wayne, who was seen to be very doting and loving to Jason, would not divulge anything, stating that,  _"Jason isn't comfortable with the media, as well as the constant watch from the people. He does not wish to offend, but he isn't comfortable with being in public."'_

'So my speculation was right,' Shane notes. 'Yes. But— '

'There's a  _"but"?'_ The text transitions into a black screen with several newspaper clippings. 

'Many have suggested that Wayne was keeping Jason at home forcibly, or was perhaps using him —' It cuts to Shane giving a dirty look and Ryan shaking his head, 'but we know that to be nonsense, given how Dick reacted when he heard about them.'

'Shame on you,' Shane tuts.

Damian imagines wrangling the necks of those who dared spout nonsense about his Father. 

'With his history now known, let's get into the main event.' Ryan's voice takes on a darker tone. 'On an undisclosed date in 2010, Jason Todd disappeared. Several reports pointed him to Lebanon, and then Ethiopia. On the Wayne Enterprises official website, it states that Jason went to join a civil war relief project with a group of other WE employees. Jason was said to have been very empathetic to those living in terrible conditions and wanted to help change or improve the living situations.' 

'He was a, a good kid,' Shane says quietly. The air in the den was now as thick as butter; but no knife could ever slice it. Pennyworth had taken a seat in an armchair, composure crumpling. 

'The Gotham City Police Department issued a Missing Persons notice on Jason one week after he was sighted in Ethiopia. Bruce Wayne, who had been with Jason in Lebanon, had been the one who filed the case, and was very distressed and anxious when he called the GCPD. He also filed for a Missing Persons with local authorities, but they couldn't find anything related to Jason.'

'I dont know how Missing Persons cases work, but if the person who's missing isn't in the  _region,_ would it work?' Ryan asks, 'I mean, he was probably at his wits' ends, and called the GCPD after local Lebanon authorities couldn't find Jason. What would  _you_ do then?' Ryan is seemingly very stressed, while Shane continues shaking his head. 'This story just makes me terribly upset.'

'In under 24 hours, news of Jason's disappearance spread like wildfire, and he appeared on national television the next day. However, all efforts to find the boy were useless as there weren't many clues as to where he might've gone. Several weeks later, Jason Todd's funeral was broadcasted live on a Gotham TV channel, against the wishes of the Wayne Family. The channel was sued and went bankrupt, its owners and the crew involved now serving time in jail for violating personal privacy.' 

'That was a despicable thing to do.' Ryan and Shane exclaim in sync. 'Bruce Wayne had arranged a private funeral, but some stupid press people decided to not only sneak in, but  _broadcast it live?_ Jesus Christ,' the anger in Ryan's tone was thundering. 'How  _low_ can people sink?' Shane sighs. 

Cain, as well as Damian, were trying their hardest to not break something. The media was irritating, like a pest you couldn't get rid of. Perhaps it was time to exterminate them. But that would mean killing off Clark Kent and Lois Lane, which would cause Jonathan much misery and grief.  _Another method should be used, then._ Damian decides. 

'Jason Todd now lies in the Wayne Family Cemetry, not far from the Wayne Manor. With that, let's get into the theories—'

A distinct choking noise could be heard. Whipping his head around, he sees Gordon struggling to rein her tears in. 'No, no, don't pause the damned video, Grayson. I'm good.' She grinds out, glaring watery eyes at his brother. Grayson shoots her a nervous and worried look, but presses play regardless. 

'The first theory, and the only theory that made the most sense to me, was that Jason was kidnapped in Lebanon and smuggled into Ethiopia. Since Bruce Wayne was an influential, wealthy, figure, it would be easy to kidnap Jason, demand a ransom, and get rich. When Dick Grayson was in Wayne's care, he was occasionally kidnapped for ransom, though they all happened in Gotham. However, since Jason was elusive and difficult to get a hold of, the kidnappers may have decided to take action when he was overseas, vulnerable and confused due to a change in scenary. Though this does explain his disappearance, it doesn't explain how he died.'

'Maybe,' Shane pipes up, 'the kidnappers killed Jason after they got what they wanted. It's the most obvious thing to do, in the movies and books, isn't it? It would be too much of a hassle to deliver him back to Bruce Wayne.' 

A blue  _(deep breath)_ appears slowly, then, 'that works, I guess.'

'The second, and last, theory, was that Jason died in an accident.' 

Ryan goes quiet, the screen shows him shutting his folder, crossing his hands on the table and looking at the camera. 

'Wait— that's it?!' Shane, who was staring at the table with a look of concentration, catches onto the statement. 'Yeah, that's it. Nobody could find any evidence to prove this his autopsy was never disclosed. Bruce Wayne was too consumed in grief to respond to the press. The theories stop there.'

Shane states blankly at Ryan, 'you spent, you spent a month researching this, Ryan.' Ryan sighs, tiredly, 'I couldn't find anything at all. Besides his history and back story, and the vague happenings, nothing else came up. Many people questioned it, there were a bunch of whacky theories that made zero sense had no evidence to back it up. This case is a dead end.' 

Ryan leans back into his chair, hanging his head in shame. There is an awkward silence between them. 

'No. . . Aliens?' Shane tries, but there is no response. 'Okay, no aliens.' 

The video cuts to a picture of Jason smiling in his first Wayne Gala, the picture is given a burning effect, 'what happened to Jason Todd would, perhaps, forever remain —  _unsolved.'_

A blackout effect is used, but before the video can end Grayson pauses it, takes a deep breath, and remains silent.

'Where was I when Jason disappeared?' Grayson asked, eyeing the floor. Father and Pennyworth don't respond. Drake is rigid, Gordon tilts her head back. 'I don't know where I was when he disappeared.' Grayson continues. 

'Why can't I remember?' He whispers, eyes broken. 

'I don't know,' Father croaks. 

**Author's Note:**

> i'm ending it there bc i can't write anymore.
> 
> honestly, i hate this so much. it wasn't well executed. i'm sorry.


End file.
